Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is proposed a heat controller for cooling a motor generator, an inverter, a battery, and a vehicle compartment of an electric vehicle.
The heat controller in the related art includes a cooling circuit for allowing a coolant for cooling the motor generator and the inverter to circulate therethrough, a first circulation circuit for allowing a coolant for cooling the battery and vehicle compartment to circulate therethrough, and a second circulation circuit for allowing a coolant exchanging heat with outside air through an outdoor heat exchanger to circulate therethrough.
Further, the heat controller includes a first valve for connecting/disconnecting between the cooling circuit and the first circulation circuit, a second valve for connecting the cooling circuit to either the first circulation circuit or second circulation circuit, and a third valve for connecting/disconnecting between the cooling circuit and the second circulation circuit. The respective valves are controlled to switch the subject of connection of the cooling circuit between the first and second circulation circuits.
Heat can be transferred by a heat transfer device between the coolant circulating through the first circulation circuit and the coolant circulating through the second circulation circuit. The heat transfer device transfers the heat from the coolant at a high temperature to the coolant at a low temperature between the coolants in the first and second circulation circuits.
The heat of the coolant in the first circulation circuit is transferred to the coolant in the second circulation circuit by the heat transfer device, and the heat of the coolant in the second circulation circuit can be dissipated into the outside air by the outdoor heat exchanger, thereby cooling the battery and vehicle compartment.
The cooling circuit is connected to the first circulation circuit or second circulation circuit by use of the first to third valves, so that the heat of the coolant in the cooling circuit can be dissipated into the outside air by the outdoor heat exchanger in the second circulation circuit, thereby cooling the motor generator and inverter.